Fiona Kidman
Dame''' Fiona Judith Kidman''' DNZM OBE (born 26 March 1940) is a New Zealand poet, novelist, scriptwriter, and short story author. Life Kidmanwas born in in Hawera, and grew up in Northland, New Zealand. She worked as a librarian in Rotorua after leaving school. She married Ian Kidman in 1960 and they have a son and daughter. Kidman began her writing career as a freelance journalist in the early 1960s and was mentored by Bruce Mason and William Austin in theatre and radio theatre. Her earliest of 8 novels was published in 1979, and she has also published 4 short story collections and 4 collections of poetry. Kidman is active in the literary community, serving as the national president of PEN from 1981 to 1983 and as the president of the New Zealand Book Council from 1992 to 1995. In 1988 she founded and ran the Fiona Kidman Creative Writing School, which is now part of Whitireia Community Polytechnic. She was the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellow for 2006 and President of Honour of the New Zealand Book Council. Her latest novel, The Captive Wife was runner-up for the Deutz Medal and won the Readers' Choice award at the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Writing Her work is often concerned with the effects of suburban and provincial lower middle-class life, its morals and its hypocrisies. Recognition In the 1988 New Year Honours, Kidman was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to literature.[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/51173/supplements/33 London Gazette (supplement), No. 51173, 30 December 1987]. Retrieved 16 January 2013. She was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 1998 New Year Honours for services to literature.New Year Honours List 1998. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 6 January 2013. Kidman is a patron of the New Zealand Poetry Society.New Zealand Poetry Society. Web, Apr. 4, 2014. Awards *Ngaio Marsh Award for television writing (1972) *New Zealand Scholarship in Letters (1981) *Mobil New Zealand/ Outlook Short Story Award (1985) *New Zealand Book Awards for The Book of Secrets (1987) *Officer, Order of the British Empire for services to literature (1988) *Arts Council Award for Achievement (1988) *Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) - 1998 *AW Reed Award for Lifetime Achievement (2001) *Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Fellow (2006) *Runner up Deutz Medal and winner of People's Choice at Montana New Zealand Book Awards (2006) *Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) - 2009. *Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters (France), 2009. Publications Poetry *''Honey and Bitters: Poems''. Christchurch, NZ: Pegasus Press, 1975. *''On the Tightrope: Poems''. Christchurch, NZ: Pegasus Press, 1977. *''Going to the Chathams: Poems, 1977-1984''. Auckland & Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1985. *''Wakeful Nights: Poems selected and new''. Auckland: Vintage, 1991. *''Where Your Left Hand Rests: A collection of poems''. Auckland: Godwit, 2010. *''This Change in Light: A collection of poems''. Auckland: Godwit, 2016. Plays *''Search for Sister Blue: A play for radio''. Wellington: Reed, 1975. Novels *''A Breed of Women''. Sydney & New York: Harper & Row, 1979. *''Mandarin Summer''. Auckland & Exeter, NH: Heinemann, 1981. *''Paddy's Puzzle''. Auckland; Heinemann, 1983 **published in U.S. as In the Clear Light: A novel. New York: Norton, 1983. *''The Book of Secrets''. Auckland: Heinemann, 1987. *''True Stars''. Auckland: Random Century, 1990. *''Ricochet Baby''. Auckland: Vintage, 1996. *''Songs from the Violet Café: A novel''. Auckland: Vintage, 2003. *''The Captive Wife''. Auckland: Vintage, 2005. *''The Infinite Air''. Auckland: Vintage, 2013. Short fiction *''Mrs Dixon & Friend: Short stories''. Auckland & Exeter, NH: Heinemann, 1982. *''Unsuitable Friends''. Auckland: Century-Hutchinson, 1988. *''The Foreign Woman''. Auckland: Vintage, 1993. *''The House Within''. Auckland: Vintage, 1997. *''The Best of Fiona Kidman's Short Stories''. Auckland: Vintage, 1998. *''A Needle in the Heart''. Auckland: Vintage, 2002. *''The Trouble with Fire''. Auckland: Vintage, 2011. Non-Fiction *''Gone North'' (with Jane Ussher). Auckland: Heinemann, 1984. *''Wellington'' (photos by Grant Sheehan). Auckland: Random House, 1989. *''Palm Prints''. Auckland: Vintage, 1994. *''At the End of Darwin Road: A memoir''. Auckland: Vintage / Random House, 2008. *''Beside the Dark Pool''. Auckland: Random House, 2009. Edited *''New Zealand Love Stories: An Oxford anthology''. Auckland & New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. *''The Best New Zealand Fiction 1''. Auckland: Vintage, 2004. *''The Best New Zealand Fiction 2''. Auckland: Vintage, 2005. *''The Best New Zealand Fiction 3''. Auckland: Vintage, 2006. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Fiona Kidman, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Mar. 30, 2017. See also *List of New Zealand poets References External links ;Poems *"Pact for Mother and Teenager" *"Marilyn at Malibu" *"On Small Planes" *"Pruning Roses" ;Books *Fiona Kidman at Amazon.com ;About *Kidman, Fiona at the New Zealand Book Council *Fiona Kidman Official website. Category:1940 births Category:New Zealand women novelists Category:New Zealand women poets Category:Women short story writers Category:Living people Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Category:Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:New Zealand recipients of the Légion d'honneur Category:People from Hawera Category:20th-century New Zealand novelists Category:21st-century New Zealand novelists Category:20th-century poets Category:20th-century women writers Category:21st-century women writers Category:English-language poets Category:New Zealand poets Category:Poets